she/her. dope. foodie. be blogging sometimes. paints a lil.

Lynona’s Weekly #3

Welcome Back! This is a cool way for me to share the random things I find myself researching while I should be asleep! Who needs a regular sleep schedule? Probably me but I like learning new things at 3 in the crisp parts of the morning so here we are.

I’m not an expert in any of these things, do your research or talk to a medical professional before you decide to try these things because some teas and herbal products can interact with prescription drugs (See: St. John’s Wort).

Please like, comment, subscribe, you know, all those things everybody would like for you to do on these internet streets.

Tea of the Week:

I really had a plan to not talk about Ivy’s Tea Company this week . . . but one thing led to another and here we are with no regrets. I promise I’ll talk about a herb next week.

I have decided that making a cup of C.R.E.A.M. with a teaspoon of honey and listening to music has become a money manifestation and productivity ritual.

Plant-based Food of the Week:

Oatmeal!!! My love for oatmeal is as endless as the universe itself. Toppings are endless, even though I usually opt for one or two fruits, some nuts, and the same assortment of spices. In a perfect world, I always have perfectly ripe bananas, walnuts, and blueberries. I flavor my oatmeal base with a splash of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and either brown sugar or agave. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add some ground allspice or ground cloves. I think my oatmeal is incredible. Here are my most popular ingredients:

Fresh fruits: bananas, blueberries, raspberries, Granny Smith apples

Dried fruits: cranberries, dates, raisins

Nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews

Ground spices: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, ginger

Sweetness: brown sugar, agave, oatmeal, coconut sugar

I might go make some for lunch . . .

Wellness Technique/Method of the Week:

Meditation, yoga, binaural beats

Meditation is a practice I’d recommend everyone add to their morning routine. Meditation is not always sitting cross-legged on the floor in silence for an hour. Meditation is simply time you take to sit with yourself, in yourself, and focus on your internal world. This can happen in the shower, while brushing your teeth, making your morning coffee, walking the dog, or any other activity that doesn’t require your direct attention.

Lately I’ve been combining meditation during my yoga practice. Yoga is an excellent way for me to let go of my speeding train of thought simply. I know I’m distracted and frazzled when I can’t hold a balancing pose for more than 2 seconds. It forces me to focus and concentrate on evenly distributing my weight where is needs to be so I can successfully complete the pose or flow. Yoga doesn’t allow my mind the extra space to worry about doing laundry or my existential crisis for the time I have on my mat. Sometimes my practice is a quick 5 minutes, other times it’s 45 minutes. Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube is my favorite, she has videos for nearly everything and is still making more every week. She is very beginner friendly, her videos are relatable, and she gives a few variations to accommodate for different body types and flexibility levels.

Below are a few of my favorite binaural beats:

Sounds like “yoga studio” music, right? It makes excellent background music for meditating, working, and studying. I’ll make an in-depth post about binaural beats soon. In short, the same way Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do” can uplift your mood and Jazmine Sullivan’s “10 Seconds” can remind you of someone you didn’t want to remember, binaural beats can influence your subconscious. Some frequencies are great to help you get a good night’s rest and others are great to help keep you focused and alert on that incredible complex research paper. I have a tendency to start dancing and singing when I should be writing blog posts. Next thing I know, an hour passed and I’ve written 4 sentences. Binaural beats give my brain background music to try to distract itself with but it gets bored and goes back to focusing on the task at hand. It’s a better alternative to Jazz, my brain will sit and pick through the instrumentation instead of focusing. I’m easily distracted, my brain often betrays me in this regard.

Sounds of the Week:

This week, I’m going to share the goodness of Chloe x Halle. You may know them as the protegés of Beyoncé. You may know their covers from YouTube. You may know them from Blackish. All of that is irrelevant because what you really need to know is that these two magical Black girls created this album in their living room with their own voices and musical talents. Somebody on Twitter said they “made a great vegan Black girl album” and I haven’t been okay since reading it. I’d highly suggest the entire album, but if you only have time for one song, listen to “Hi Lo.” If you’re anything like me, go watch their recent performances on YouTube and you will see why they were scooped up by Parkwood Entertainment.

Side note: Listening and focusing on “Everywhere” is a money manifestation ritual.

A New Thing I Learned:

People in real life are casually xenophobic, homophobic, and transphobic. It’s mind-blowing how some people spend so much brain power being “offended” by gender-neutral restrooms and gay couples grocery shopping. Like . . . bro . . . Their lives have nothing to do with you. Your children can’t “catch the gay” because that isn’t a real thing. Just say you hate Queer people and keep it moving. Be confident in your bigotry so we can point you out and avoid you. Let us avoid your events and businesses with confidence. My LGBTQ+ friends already know that anyone can catch the smoke about them. And I will never understand the people who go out of their way to physically assault others because of their perceived sexuality or culture. Maybe I’m just stingy with my energy. You can do your thing over there, I frankly don’t care. But the second you decide to invade someone else’s space is the beginning second of a problem. Be hateful in your living room, but there’s no need for you to assault, rape, and kill trans people or people you “think” are Mexican or “illegal.” Shouting “GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY” to an American-born person will always be ridiculous and obnoxious to me.

Hair Update:

This is my entire hair routine. After braiding my hair to look like Susie Carmichael’s older sister, I wash my hair with Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, I cycle between the Almond, Peppermint, Lavender, and Unscented scents. Then I shampoo and condition with diluted form of Suave Professional’s line of Almond & Shea Butter shampoo and conditioner. After letting my hair air dry for 30 minutes, I add Sweet Almond Oil to my scalp via amber bottle and dropper. I recently added Peppermint Oil to my almond oil and it makes me miss my Peppermint Dr. Bronner’s.

A Photo I Captured This Week:

A Reminder To Help Reprogram Our Brains:

“I trust that the work I put in will result in the manifestation of my desires.”

Affirmation: I trust that the work I put in will result in the manifestation of my desires. ✨